


Wine, Religion, Loss, Enigma

by magumarashi



Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: Religious Discussion, philosophical discussions over wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-05
Updated: 2013-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-29 17:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magumarashi/pseuds/magumarashi
Summary: Upon his return to his quarters at the church, Kirei finds that, once again, he has an uninvited guest...





	Wine, Religion, Loss, Enigma

**Author's Note:**

> I'm posting this one separately from the ones in [Yuetsu misc](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931007/chapters/32066520) bc it's not silly or horny like the others I've written lmao... this one actually takes place during the course of F/Z

Kirei was no longer surprised to find Gilgamesh waiting for him upon return to his quarters. It had become such a regular occurrence that the visitor didn’t even draw his eyes anymore. The King of Heroes might well have been a piece of furniture.

“You’re not even going to say hello to me?” said Gilgamesh with a pout as Kirei took off his coat, “I’m offended that you wouldn’t even give me a second glance, Kirei.”

“I see you,” said Kirei simply. He hung his coat on the rack and sat down, leaning back into his chair and sighing.

“You seem tired,” Gilgamesh observed, “Why not have a drink and relax for the evening? We can even enjoy some of _my_ wine, for a change.”

“Drink is drink,” said Kirei, “It neither pleases nor offends me, whatever the vintage.”

“You _really_ must sort out your priorities,” said Gilgamesh with a coy smile. He held up a hand, and two golden cups materialized into it. He set these down before summoning a small golden urn, filled to the brim with a dark red wine.

“I believe that with a little coaxing, you can learn to enjoy wine,” Gilgamesh continued, “It has its subtleties… no two vintages are quite alike, you know.”

The King of Heroes poured a little wine from the urn into each gold goblet. Kirei raised his cup to his lips lethargically, took a cautious sip… his expression changed, brows raised. He looked at the wine in astonishment.

“Good, isn’t it?” Gilgamesh smirked triumphantly; he’d finally produced a reaction from his stoic companion, “I wouldn’t grow accustomed to it, if I were you. My wine is reserved for… special occasions, if you will. Consider this a treat.”

“But why share such drink with me?” Kirei asked, “Am I not some dog to you? You hardly treat your own master with respect; I can’t imagine that I would earn special treatment–!”

“Have our times together meant nothing?” asked Gilgamesh, “I’d have thought you would have figured it out by now. Tokiomi is boring; he is predictable to a fault. But you… you are fascinating.”

“I am humbled that you think so highly of me,” said Kirei, “But I can’t possibly be as interesting as you make me out to be. Certainly no more so than Tohsaka…”

“I understand how people like Tokiomi function,” said Gilgamesh, “But you… you are an enigma within a riddle. For myself, who seeks nothing less than the world’s pleasures, someone who cannot understand pleasure is… a puzzle I would much like to solve.”

“So you think you can solve me?” Kirei sipped the wine again with a frown.

“I like to think that.”

“And if you cannot?”

“Perhaps I will have learned something all the same.”

Gilgamesh sipped lazily from his goblet, eyeing the cross around Kirei’s neck. Kirei noticed where the other was looking.

“Is something wrong, Gilgamesh?”

“You know,” said Gilgamesh, “I have never understood it. Why do people flock to a religion that brands pleasure as a sin? I would think such a school of thought would be ridiculed the world over.”

Kirei sipped his wine before responding.

“When people are so helplessly lost, suffering tremendously simply to struggle from one day to the next… religion can be a beacon that gives them the will to live. If they work hard and live piously despite their hardships, a blissful afterlife awaits. The promise of a paradise after death can be very appealing to those who have lost interest in living.”

Gilgamesh frowned.

“How do they know you aren’t just deluding them? Which, to be frank, you are-–I’ve seen death, Kirei. Believe me, the living have nothing to look forward to. There is no pleasure in death, nor beyond.”

“But they don’t know that,” said Kirei, “It is the hope of someday being freed from their suffering that motivates them to lead more upright lives. Perhaps you, who have never suffered a day in your life, could never hope to understand.”

Gilgamesh put his goblet down with an angry clink.

“Do not presume to know such things about me,” the King of Heroes snarled, “I have tasted suffering enough to make a lesser man mad–-do you _dare_ presume to know how that feels?”

“I, too, must beg your pardon,” Kirei responded darkly, “I have suffered a loss enough to hollow the dregs of my already empty soul. Do not mistake me for wholly unfeeling on the part of my lack of joy.”

There was some silence between them.

“I see,” said Gilgamesh at length, “You and I… we have quite a bit in common, don’t we?”


End file.
